Dr. McCasland retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Major General after a 34-year career. He culminated his Air Force career as Commander, Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where he led the USAF’s $4B science and technology program, commanding an organization of 10,000 people. He had served in the Pentagon on both the OSD and Air Force staffs leading acquisition and special program oversight offices. Dr. McCasland's Air Force career spanned multiple NRO and Air Force space acquisition programs.
Dr. McCasland holds a B.S. in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and earned his PhD and M.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His graduate research was supported by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundations. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).